An Italian hospital sure feels refreshing.
There're a lot of people who go on overseas trips, but it's rare for a visitor to be sent to hospital because of an accident, right? Kamijou thought. Right now, he was lying on a stretcher, moving about in the darkness as creaking sounds could be heard. The doctor and nurse seemed to be saying something to him, but he didn't understand it at all. His right shoulder and left hand were bandaged, and there was an 'I'm OK!' bandage on his face…maybe because he had gotten disinfectant sprayed on his face, his eyes stung.
"Should be the disinfectant, I can't think of anything else! Damn it, why can others use the Amakusa's bathing technique and let their skin be so silky and smooth…"
"The Adriatic Sea really isn't that cold."
"WHY DO YOU LOOK SO HAPPY, INDEX!? WE BOTH SUNK TOGETHER WITH THE SHIP DOWN INTO THE VENETIAN COAST!! OI, YOU'RE HAPPY THAT YOU DIDN'T GET ABANDONED THIS TIME, ARE YOU—"
"!!"
Before Kamijou could finish speaking, Index suddenly tripped and fell onto the corridor.
"Since…since when am I happy!!?"
"I got it, you're alright, right!? Really, you actually made them worried because of something like this, Index. Aren't you giving Miss Nurse even more trouble? AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Just as Kamijou was trying to accost the blond nurse, Index chomped on him.
"Touma's still Touma even if he's on a stretcher, right!?"
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN!!"
The nun who had leaped on the stretcher and executed an act of violence was pulled away. Maybe the nurse onee-chan didn't understand what they were saying as she tilted her head as if to show that she didn't understand.
"Yes, what? To…Touma, the doctor told you to pick up the phone."
Hearing Index say this, Kamijou turned to look at the doctor, wondering why the doctor had a wireless phone in his hand. Is it really alright to use a phone in a hospital? Kamijou thought, but on further pondering, there should be phones in the hospital as well.
Anyway, he picked up the phone.
The phone seemed to be linked, as on picking it up, Kamijou heard a familiar voice.
"Do you have to end up like this even when you're on a holiday trip?"
It was the frog-faced doctor.
Kamijou was always taken care of by this doctor in Academy City. To Kamijou, who often got injured and admitted into the hospital, he felt that this frog-faced doctor was really skilled with his hands.
"Eh, what's with this suddenly? Ha, don't tell me you can even diagnose a patient through the phone."
"If I could, the hospital should start providing handphone service, right? However, because I can't do that, I'm requesting you to do one thing. You are to immediately come back to Academy City."
.................................…WHAT?
"I'm not joking. Even if that facility is an ally of Academy City, it's not good to let other hospitals check or adjust an esper's body, right?"
"That's…true. NO, HOWEVER…I MEAN! I CAN'T TAKE THE PLANE IN THIS CONDITION; IT TAKES ABOUT 10 HOURS FOR A PLANE FLIGHT!? BEFORE THAT, I'M COVERED WITH WOUNDS, YOU KNOW!?"
"Ah, don't worry about that. There should be a supersonic jet parked at the Marco Polo Airport. That can go past 7,000km per hour, so you should reach Japan in an hour, no?"
"A LARGE JET!? ISN'T THAT THE FANTASY NORTH AMERICAN X-15 RESEARCH PLANE!? CAN I REALLY RIDE ON THIS PLANE THAT'S FASTER THAN A BULLET WHEN I DON'T HAVE ANY TRAINING!?"
"No problem, no problem. I rode on it before. The most it feels is like there's no gravity."
"THAT THING ONLY NEEDS AN HOUR!? I GUESS ALL THE CONTENTS IN MY STOMACH WILL GO THE WRONG WAY!!"
"No problem, no problem. I rode on it before. Within the first ten minutes, you don't even have time to think about that."
WHO SAYS THERE'S NO PROBLEM!! Kamijou hugged his head with full force.
"WAIT A SECOND! I…I BASICALLY HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN IN ITALY FOR ONE DAY? AND I DRANK THE WATER OF THE ADRIATIC SEA TWICE… NO, INCLUDING THE ESCAPE, THAT'S THREE TIMES. I DIDN'T GET INTO THE IMPORTANT VENEZIA ONCE!!"
"Oh my, aren't you happy with this kind of experience. Anyway, I have one thing to say…I know this is unreasonable, but just give up and come back."
YOUR TONE IS SO COLD AND UNREASONABLE!! Kamijou again hugged his head.
At this moment, the voice on the other side of the phone continued,
"Oh yes, that cute girl that's been coming to the hospital to visit knew I was about to call you, so she said that she has some important words for me to pass to you."
"WHAT???"
Kamijou wondered, who was this cute girl? Right now, Shirai Kuroko and Himegami Aisa were staying in the hospital. For Himegami, there was Fukiyose Seiri and Komoe-sensei. On Shirai's side, there was Misaka Mikoto—
"Wait a second. Misaka Mikoto?"
Mn, the frog-faced doctor on the other side of the phone carelessly nodded his head.
"That's right. Seems like she said 'After you come back, expect me to give you that punishment game from Daihaseisai'?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT!! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The doctor and nurses forced down Kamijou Touma, who was starting to act violent on the stretcher. They seemed to mistake this as some emergency situation.
Kamijou Touma and Misaka Mikoto had made a bet during Daihaseisai, and Kamijou, who lost the punishment game, had to listen to whatever Mikoto said. If she knew that he forgot about this and went on a tour to Italy…
"WHAT'S WAITING FOR ME IS HELL!! NOW I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!! ARGHH…WAAIITT!! DON'T USE THAT SPECIALIZED TOOL TO HOLD ME DOWN!!"
The stretcher was being carried away.
The person on the other side of the phone said to the sighing Kamijou,
"Alright, then…what should I say? Welcome home, Kamijou Touma."